Those who have closely followed the jazz scene in the country over the past decade know there are many young, creative talents thriving here. These musicians embrace influences well beyond jazz and the Great American Songbook and refuse to be pigeon-holed into a narrow definition of what's supposed to be jazz. They play music that has been marked by years of listening to hip-hop, rock, funk, classical music, metal and whatever.
The Window Seat, a newly formed Mumbai-based jazz, Afrobeat and funk band, is one such example. Bflat recently played host to the band.
With the brilliance of Tala Faral on keyboards and saxophone, Lindsay D'Mello on drums, and Sonu Sangameswaran on electric bass, the band's repertoire included funky jazz originals and their own spin of a few covers.
The trio played the crowd, alternately raising the mood with peppy, upbeat numbers and slowing the tempo with tracks that lent a touch of nostalgia.
The crowd, which included a group of jazz enthusiasts and friends of the band, were entertained. The musicians clearly having a good time themselves, improved their performance one notch higher.
Bangalore has a history of jazz, and events like this help the genre reach a larger audience. Tala, Lindsay and Sonu's performance was so much more interesting as their compositions were a combination of jazz and funk, with infusions of Afrobeat.
With a cheering crowd and good sound, the band played original compositions such as ‘Boiling Point' and ‘Kala Goda'. Tala, taking a break from the keyboard, showed off his flair for the saxophone, while Lindsay and Sonu followed suit with equal enthusiasm.
